Studies of Girls' Development, Ages 6-17, 1981-1992

This study is not yet available for use These studies were conducted by Carol Gilligan and her colleagues at Harvard University. The Harvard Adolescent Project began in 1981-1984 with a longitudinal study of adolescent girls at the Emma Willard School (a girls' boarding/day school, grades 9-12). The Emma Willard School Study was designed to explore how adolescent girls of different ages understand and describe themselves, relationships and morality. During 1983-1984, a small study was conducted of 15-year-old girls and boys at the Blake School (a coeducational day school, grades K-12) to understand the ways in which schools can positively affect adolescent development. The Blake School Study was followed by a three-year longitudinal study from 1984-1986, which included both girls and boys at the Middlesex School (a comparable, coeducational school). The Middlesex School Study examined how adolescents think about and make choices and how their experience of choice is related to their sense of self. The Boys and Girls Club Study (1985) and Urban Adolescent Community Project (1986) reached more diverse groups of adolescents to investigate ways in which adolescents think about their relationships with adults and their community. The Laurel School Study was a cross-sectional, longitudinal study lasting from 1986 to 1990 that examined female adolescent development and education. Concurrently, from 1987 to 1990, the Understanding Adolescence Study (also referred to as The Cambridge Schools Study) interviewed boys and girls attending urban public high schools who were designated "at risk" for either high school dropout and/or early motherhood. These studies utilized questionnaires and intensive qualitative interviews on topics ranging from questions on girls' and boys' decisions about morality, relationships, self-images, educational goals, career possibilities and children. These studies utilized questionnaires and intensive qualitative interviews on topics ranging from questions on girls' and boys' decisions about morality, relationships, self-images, educational goals, career possibilities and children. These studies utilized questionnaires and intensive qualitative interviews on topics ranging from questions on girls' and boys' decisions about morality, relationships, self-images, educational goals, career possibilities and children. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (original record paper data in the form of questionnaires, and transcribed interviews; this collection also includes audiotapes from these studies). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data. Audio Data Availability Note: This study contains audio data that have been digitized. There are 288 audio files available.